Campus News

A member of the Morris faculty since 1989, Finzel has served as interim dean since 2011. More »

Campus-wide Academic Events

Mesa de conversaciÃ³n/Spanish Conversation Table

Wednesday, April 1
6 p.m.–7 p.m.
Turtle Mountain Cafe

Mesa de conversaciÃ³n/Spanish Conversation Table

Wednesday, April 8
6 p.m.–7 p.m.
Turtle Mountain Cafe

Mesa de conversaciÃ³n/Spanish Conversation Table

Wednesday, April 15
6 p.m.–7 p.m.
Turtle Mountain Cafe

At the University of Minnesota, Morris, students get a chance to experience a wide array of collaborative opportunities. Sam Bruno is the perfect example. She is a studio art major, the campus Quidditch league commissioner, and a presenter at conferences dedicated to broadband Internet research. And, in collaboration with professors, local citizens, and the University of Minnesota, Morris Center for Small Towns, this student from a small town used her artistic abilities to help another rural community address problems threatening its very existence.

The town’s problems, Sam noted in her final report, Main Street Makeover: The Wheaton Model, were typical:

Wheaton was languishing due to lost business and a lack of appeal to outsiders;

Youth were fleeing the rural community, aging its population;

The formerly prosperous main streets resembled a ghost town, haunted by the empty storefronts of once-thriving businesses.

After extensive research, discussion with local citizens, and collaboration with her professors, Sam realized a mere facelift would not be sufficient.Â Her solution?Â Staged advertising!Â Use the glorious storefront windows along the main street to promote:

More examples of student collaborations:

The University of Minnesota, Morris is a public liberal arts University that provides a rigorous undergraduate liberal arts education, preparing its students to be global citizens who value and pursue intellectual growth, civic engagement, intercultural competence, and environmental stewardship.